Chapter 31 – Fruit That Prolongs Life

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Translated by Frog in the Well

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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The moment a woman, who flew in gracefully like a pure white crane, arrived in front of Jin So-myeong’s group.

“Greetings, Senior Sister!”

The senior brothers, who had been acting like superiors until just now, bowed their waists deeply. It was a respectful attitude as if greeting a master.

The woman called senior sister responded with a bright smile.

“It seems you were on official duty. I came because I have business with the newly joined Junior Brother Jin… Shall I come back later?”

“Ah, no! The mission has already ended. We will be going now.”

“Thank you. Go safely.”

Wearing a picture-perfect smile, she saw off the disciples and turned her head with an elegant demeanor.

Only now did her gaze meet Jin So-myeong’s, and she flinched slightly.

“…He really is a kid.”

A sneer, so small that it would not have been heard if one did not possess sensitive senses, brushed past, and soon she approached with rustling sounds.

“Hello, Junior Brother? You are Jin So-myeong, who joined this time, right?”

Her bright smile, like a flower, seemed extremely kind.

If not for the sneer felt just a moment ago, one would have thought she was naturally gentle and sweet-natured.

“…Hello, Senior.”

“What senior! I am Shim Woo-yeon. Just call me Senior Sister. Feel free to speak comfortably as well.”

Detecting that her level was at the 6th layer of the Qi Condensation stage, Jin So-myeong smiled brightly.

“Shall I? My name is Jin So-myeong. Nice to meet you, Senior Sister Shim.”

“Oh my! You are much more sociable than I thought. How nice! Anyway, you are the newcomer who joined after Beom Chang this time, right?”

“Yes, and?”

Jin So-myeong stood blankly and blinked his eyes. He only tilted his head like a clueless child.

“Hmm… I guess Beom Chang hasn’t told you yet?”

“Yes?”

“Beom Chang and I don’t get along very well.”

“Ah… Is that so. Well, that can happen. Since it’s hard to be friendly with everyone.”

Her smile remained, but the atmosphere changed slightly.

She closed in with a deep smile in her eyes. Clinging closely enough for him to smell a sweet scent, she spoke in an insinuating tone.

“That’s right. But I want to get along with everyone… especially with you, Junior Brother Jin. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

“…Sure, why not.”

“Wh-what?”

“Since we are fellow disciples of the Red Yang Sect, it’s good to get along! I wanted to get close to Senior Sister too.”

As Jin So-myeong spoke with a bright smile, Shim Woo-yeon frowned.

She looked displeased, like someone whose plans had not gone as intended, but then grinned.

“Hmm… Well, fine. Then, if something unusual happens to Beom Chang, could you let me know?”

“Something unusual?”

“For example, if it seems he is about to break through to the late Qi Condensation stage, or if he suddenly has a dharma treasure you haven’t seen before.”

“That’s easy!”

As Jin So-myeong nodded as if he understood, Shim Woo-yeon narrowed her eyes.

Because he agreed so readily, she seemed rather displeased.

“Junior Brother Jin. Won’t Beom Chang dislike it if you act like that?”

“Hey! Brother Beom Chang is a broad-minded person. There is no way he would get angry over something like this. And fellow disciples should get along. I will make sure to reconcile you and Brother!”

“…Fine. Words are always easy. I will watch how you act in the future.”

Wearing the same bright smile she had arrived with, she rode her flying sword and departed.

Watching her departing figure, Jin So-myeong narrowed his brow. His childlike behavior vanished without a trace.

‘Shim… Could she be the granddaughter of a Foundation Establishment elder?’

He got the general idea.

In any group, once it reached a certain size, power struggles were bound to arise.

Currently, the Red Yang Sect had a total of three Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivators, and one of their names was Shim Yeon-hyang.

It seemed that Elder Shim and Beom Chang’s uncle were in a competitive relationship.

‘Ridiculous. Trying to use me as a spy?’

For now, she had only made a light hint and moved on, but once he became necessary someday, she would poke and prod to test the waters.

If he were Beom Chang’s actual subordinate, it would have been quite troublesome.

He would have had a headache caught between the two sides, but…

‘Who cares.’

He had no interest in internal power struggles.

What was important right now was to increase his strength as much as possible before entering the Red Cloud Secret Realm.

‘Only then can I obtain a Foundation Establishment spiritual object.’

He had absolutely no intention of getting involved in useless matters and wasting time.

He intended to ignore whatever Beom Chang and Shim Woo-yeon did to clash with each other.

‘Forget about it, let’s go and learn the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art.’

Anticipation welled up.

He wanted to quickly initiate into the body tempering method and increase his spiritual root recovery speed.

*

100 days later.

Cultivating in his cave dwelling, Jin So-myeong took a stance.

Lowering his center of gravity into a horse stance, he began to move slowly.

Crack.

The moment he regulated his breathing while holding his fist, which was clenched tightly enough to make a cracking sound, at his waist.

Whoosh!

A straight punch shot out like a cannonball, slicing through the empty air.

A heavy wave of energy shook the entire cave dwelling. The threatening wind of the punch was enough to make even the formation protecting the cave dwelling react.

‘…As expected, a body tempering method that professionally trains the body is different.’

Just now, he had not used even a single handful of spiritual Qi. Even so, the power of his fist was extraordinary.

The effect of initiating into the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art was beyond imagination.

Right now, the spleen, one of Jin So-myeong’s five viscera and six bowels, was different from others.

The spleen, which had been a mere ordinary organ, had transformed into a spiritual particle organ similar to the dantian.

‘Blood Channeling. As the power within the blood awakens, the entire body is evolving.’

If the power mainly used by cultivators was called spiritual Qi, body tempering cultivators dealt with blood Qi.

Of course, strictly speaking, blood Qi was also just a type of spiritual Qi, but it was a power slightly more compatible with the physical body.

Blood Qi evolved the physical body ideally just by possessing it.

It could be called another path to transcendence.

“Fuu…”

Calming down the power boiling throughout his entire body, Jin So-myeong thoroughly inspected his own physique.

He had worried about what if he became bulky like a gorilla after training in a body tempering method, but nothing of the sort happened.

On the contrary, the muscles condensed inward were not noticeable from the outside. It was just good to look at as he became full of firm, lean muscles.

Squeeze.

Clenching and unclenching his fists, he measured how much his strength had increased.

‘Although it is a body tempering method specialized in regenerative power, it doesn’t mean it has no other effects. At the very least, I have become much stronger than ordinary Qi Condensation cultivators.’

It seemed he could win in a bare-handed fight without spells even against a Rank 1 low-grade demonic beast.

And.

The increase in physical strength was actually merely a side effect.

Jin So-myeong’s true purpose was none other than strengthening his spiritual root recovery speed.

‘The effect is certain. The barrier of eight hours has been broken.’

Originally, it required eight hours to recover from spiritual root overload, but it was different now.

This was because, after initiating into the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art and learning various useful training methods, the difficulty of the wish was drastically reduced.

Now, the overload was cleared after resting for only seven hours.

‘If I strengthen the recovery speed until I hit a wall again… wouldn’t it be around six hours?’

Before long, the number of cultivation sessions per day seemed likely to increase from two to three times.

He cut his skin as a test.

‘…Oh.’

His regenerative power had grown noticeably stronger. He could actually see the split flesh healing slowly.

To recover at a speed visible to the eye. It was truly an absurd regenerative power.

Unless it was a significant injury, he would be perfectly fine after resting for just a day.

‘Now I really have nothing to say even if I am called a monster.’

To think it was this much just by opening the spleen. Anticipation naturally arose.

‘In the future, if I open the lungs, kidneys, liver… and finally the heart, I might really be able to stand against a Foundation Establishment-grade monster with just my physical body.’

Of course, opening the organs like this was not an easy task.

This was because organs are very sensitive and vulnerable structures.

‘It also cost a lot of resources.’

There was something he realized while learning the body tempering method; the real reason body tempering had become non-mainstream lay elsewhere.

It was that it required a vast amount of resources.

The consumption rate was several times greater than that of cultivators of the same rank.

Even Jin So-myeong, who had just initiated into the body tempering method, had to consume a Qi and Blood Pill worth ten spirit stones every three days.

Since this meant consuming one hundred spirit stones every month right from the beginning of cultivation, ordinary cultivators could not even hope to initiate.

However, Jin So-myeong possessed the Supreme Great Ability and the Secret Realm of the Mind.

It wasn’t that there were no dangerous moments while opening the spleen, but everything was resolved smoothly.

He believed it would continue to be so in the future.

‘Good.’

Smiling with satisfaction, he calculated the date. Today was exactly the 100th day since he entered the Red Yang Sect.

It meant one hundred days had passed since he borrowed money from Beom Chang.

‘I must keep my promise.’

The moment he waved the Voice Transmission Talisman taken out from his sub-space.

Woosh!

A wave of spiritual Qi arose from the talisman that vanished into ashes and flew out of the cave dwelling.

How long did he wait?

“…Brother. Did you call for me?”

“Hmm.”

Folding his arms, Jin So-myeong stared blankly at Beom Chang.

“Wh-why are you looking at me like that? Do you have another task for me?”

Watching him fidget like a dog that needed to relieve itself, he gestured with his chin.

Gesturing for him to come closer, he pulled out a heavy pouch from his bosom.

Swish.

The moment he handed over the thick pouch, the guy’s expression changed instantly.

From doubt to surprise, and finally, even an unconcealable joy was clearly revealed.

The hesitant fellow gulped and spoke.

“Could it be… spirit stones? Are you really paying me back?”

“I do not bother lying unless it is necessary. If you don’t like it, shall I not pay you back?”

“Ah, no!”

Thud.

He placed the heavy pouch of spirit stones onto the guy’s politely extended hands.

As if feeling the weight, the corners of Beom Chang’s mouth twitched incessantly.

“…Thank you! Brother!”

Seeing the guy feel so touched even while receiving his own money back, he could only let out a hollow laugh.

Although he could see the fellow gradually adapting to being a subordinate, he did not bother to mention it.

“Now that the spirit stones are settled, I have a favor to ask of you, Brother. Naturally, you will do it, right?”

“…Just say the word.”

Looking at Beom Chang, who became tense again as if he had never been happy, he paused for a moment before speaking.

“Gather the information on the Red Cloud Secret Realm collected by the Red Yang Sect. The more detailed, the better.”

“The secret realm? Whew! Fortunately, it’s not impossible. First, I will give you the information I have collected.”

Beom Chang, visibly relieved, handed over a brown jade slip.

“It is a map given to me by my uncle, and since it is a specially made jade slip, even mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivators can use it.”

“A jade slip? Let me see.”

Since it was not a book or a paper map, it did not take long to examine.

Placing the jade slip against his forehead, Jin So-myeong froze.

It was because his entire mind was drawn to one of the countless pieces of information that appeared in his head.

“…There is also Red Capture Fruit in the Red Cloud Secret Realm?”

“Red Capture Fruit? Ah! You mean the spiritual fruit that is an ingredient for the Rank 1 Longevity-Extending Pill. It is information that others do not know because they are all focused on the Foundation Establishment spiritual objects, but there is also Red Capture Fruit in the secret realm.”

Instantly, Jin So-myeong’s heart fluctuated like surging waves.

This was because the Longevity-Extending Pill was precisely a spiritual elixir that prolonged lifespan!

“…What are the specific effects of the Red Capture Fruit?”

“I heard that even if eaten raw, it extends lifespan by five years, and if refined into a Rank 1 Longevity-Extending Pill and consumed, it extends it by ten years. Though overshadowed by the Foundation Establishment spiritual objects, it is an immense treasure.”

“Ten years! That is truly amazing. It is almost a shame that the effect works only once.”

The more he learned in detail about the Red Cloud Secret Realm, the more he coveted it.

That place was truly a land of opportunity itself.

“Yes. If by chance you find it by luck, you will truly hit the jackpot. The Red Capture Fruit is the most precious treasure next to the Foundation Establishment spiritual objects. If you present it to a Foundation Establishment elder, they will bestow a grand reward.”

He ignored Beom Chang’s nonsense.

What was there to present? If it was a fruit that prolonged life, he naturally had to consume it himself.

To him, lifespan was an extremely useful and important resource.

“Wait. If by chance you find it? What does that mean? What about the location of the Red Capture Fruit tree written here on the map?”

“Ah, that information is outdated. I heard that when the secret realm opened last time, some bastard coveted the Red Capture Fruit tree and tried to transplant it, without even knowing that such spiritual objects wither and die the moment their roots are pulled out.”

He barely held back the curses that wanted to burst out.

His heart ached as if the ten years of lifespan that had been in his grasp had vanished.

“…Sigh. I get it for now. Still, you never know, so investigate as much as possible.”

Jin So-myeong bit his lip.

He absolutely wanted to obtain the Red Capture Fruit that prolonged life.

He could not just rely on Beom Chang. It seemed he had to go out and investigate it himself.

“Um… But, Brother.”

“Hmm?”

“Are you by chance planning to enter the Red Cloud Secret Realm? That place is truly dangerous.”

Though he acted worried, deep within Beom Chang’s eyes was filled with anticipation.

“I have already decided. If you have time to spout such disheartening words, investigate more about the secret realm instead. Make sure to find out the location of the Red Capture Fruit tree as well.”

“I understand! Don’t worry, Brother. I will do best.”

Seeing the guy look happy for once despite receiving an order, he clicked his tongue.

He knew exactly what he was thinking.

Was he happy because if he died in the Red Cloud Secret Realm, he would regain his freedom?

Dream on.

“For your information, you are going in too.”

“…What? Wh-wh-what do you mean! Why would I go in there!”

“Isn’t the Red Cloud Secret Realm a good place? Why are you so terrified when I say brothers should go in together amicably.”

Beom Chang screamed and shuddered, but could he refuse the command in the first place?

The fellow had no choice.

“Crazy. Stop talking nonsense. I have no need to go in there!”

“Hmm? Could it be that our Brother does not covet a Foundation Establishment spiritual object?”

At the question filled with curiosity, the guy shouted confidently.

“Of course I covet it! But I just need to wait in a safe place. Then, other disciples will obtain the spiritual object, and my uncle will snatch it to give to me!”

“Ha.”

Watching the fellow casually spout shameless words that would shock even a thug, he could only marvel.

He was a guy whose very way of thinking was completely rotten.

“Ack!? Why did you hit me all of a sudden!”

After giving him a hard smack on the back of his head that made a loud thud, he spoke to the aggrieved fellow.

“Hey, Brother.”

“…Yes?”

He clicked his tongue at Beom Chang, who was looking at him with an anxious expression.

Seeing that he didn’t even know what the problem was, it hit him once again what kind of world this was.

After thinking for a moment, Jin So-myeong opened his mouth.